Irish Jig The Borrower
by Blame The Editor
Summary: Fritz Smith, lovingly nicknamed 'Irish Jig' by Mike Schmidt, was never the greatest borrower. Risked his neck just to learn coding, as well as admittedly being stupid to help David Harrison. If only good intensions always met great outcomes. Only rated for frequent cursing. Warnings at the beginning of each chapter.
1. Chapter 1

Imagine being a borrower, about three inches tall. Three inches tall, with bright red hair that never blends into the shadows properly. Bright red hair, and living inside a restaurant filled with children and animatronics every day of the week.

Fritz Smith has always been someone who sees the better side of things. That extended toward humans and a few inventions they've created, a reason why coding managed to appear on his list of mastered skills he can perform. But even with a bright outlook, not everything can be what you wish for it to be. And that extends to when attempting to help those who might not even consider you a true person.

Especially when that person is David Harrison.

 _Please_ _take note 'Irish Jig' is a loving nickname given to the character Fritz Smith by Mike Schmidt, and to show this is based around the Video Game Fanatic AU, we placed said nickname in the title. We don't mean to offend anyone in anyway, simply add an aspect we enjoy of the characters created._

* * *

 **NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES**

 ** **WARNINGS****  
 _ _Frequent cursing  
Mentions of mistreatment toward a lesser being  
Mentions of not respecting a lesser being and/or not treating them as an equal__

 ** **DISCLAIMER****  
 _ _This is based upon the video game franchise__ Five Nights At Freddy's _ _, all rights for the characters and the world they interact inside belong solely to Scott Cawthon. We own nothing but the writing.  
This is based upon the novel __The Borrowers _ _, all rights concerning the concept applied belong solely to Mary Norton. We own nothing but the writing.  
Please give credit to those who deserve it. Thank you.__

* * *

Fritz Smith emits an evil laugh as he stands before the computer, keyboard longer than he was tall by at least three sitting before him.

Well, not really for him, more for David Harrison, but it was the same! More or less...

The redhead glares at the reminder that he was considered inferior to humans simply because he was just under three inches tall. Even though he spoke English, had an Irish accent, knew coding forwards and backwards, had wishes and dreams, and even scaled up cliffs most humans never even dreamed of climbing.

But okay! All of that was thrown away all because someone can just grab him with one hand-!

The teenager suddenly tenses, glancing around the small office to see if any said human heard his thoughts and therefore appear out of thin air.

After it was clear no one was inside the office, he then quickly begins to type, leaping from letter to letter. It makes him both frustrated and relieved when his minuscule weight doesn't press a key down again after his initial jump. He meant, he was small, but he didn't think he was __that__ small. At least it didn't make fifteen slashes appear.

As the rest if the coding appears, Fritz couldn't help but wonder in his thoughts, not quite understanding what made his mum so worried about trying to help Mr. Harrison with the slow computer. The human was always screaming at the animatronics at midnight, so he had at least twenty minutes before he came back.

And, well, maybe he can show the humans he wasn't just a pest...

"Ta da!"

The borrower grins with pride as he steps back from his work, jumping onto the enter key and sending the newly typed coding into the giant computer.

Now it wouldn't take as long to process, and it had an easier time pulling up different tabs, not to mention doesn't overheat dangerously, or-

Fritz suddenly stiffens, feeling the air bend around something massive moving behind him, the bright red tuffs of hair waving in a subtle breeze too small for any human to feel.

Those green eyes then glance behind him, unable to help himself as frightful tears bloom in his eyes.

"H-H-Hello, Mr. H-H-H-H-Harrison."

David only stares down at the thing that just addressed him by name.

He was expecting Eggs attempting to scare him. Maybe even Scott waiting so he can actually talk and have a good report other than 'You're help isn't needed'. Or, God forbid, __Mike__ wanting another 'conversation' with him.

But __this__? Something that looks and talks human, and yet the size of what he wishes time and time again for Mike to be so he can squash the infuriating man like the little __bug__ he is?

"I really need to get away from all this bullshit," the business man finally growls as he reaches for the item, chalking the voice to be his frustration from the idiotic people he's forced to hire.

This was nothing more than a worthless toy some snotty little kid left on his desk. He'll have to start locking his goddamn-

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Fritz covers his head in fear as he sprints away, unable to help the tears blossoming as he stares at his goal to escape this nightmare alive.

He doesn't know why the human tried to grab him, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to the cords connecting the computer, sliding to the ground safely and going home to __never__ leave the tiny little space in the walls.

He was lucky David was surprised by him moving, those earthquake-like footsteps stumbling backwards when the thing he was trying to grab and throw away __came to life__.

The redhead chances one glance behind him, tears streaming down his face in pure terror at seeing the hand taller than him reaching out faster than he could ever imagine.

But just as David reaches him, fingers moving forward to wrap around his prize, Fritz leaps over the back of the desk.

…shit did he just kill it?

David can't help but immediately move to the other side of the desk, eyes scanning the few cords standing right where the tiny little form disappeared from.

All he could make out was a flash of red disappearing into a hole in the wall.

"DAMN IT!"

He just made something that could've made him a millionaire go! Fuck being a good samaritan and wanting to make sure it was okay, he just let the impossible disappear on him!

A bit frustrated with the whole thing, the business man storms back to his seat and sits in his leather chair before tapping on the mouse to wake up his crappy computer.

He couldn't help thinking back toward the annoying little pest running away from him.

Thinking it over, it might __be__ a pest. Allowing a tiny little thing like that get away was most likely going to infest every single inch of his pizzeria. Something that small could only mean trouble, no matter how much it looked like a human.

Gross how it was standing __on his desk__ , but at least he knows to get an exterminator over as soon as-

David freezes when something catches the corner of his eye, looking over to see something embedded into the wood. Great, now something else the little thing does to ruin his life.

But just as he recognizes the object as a paperclip with a long string tied to it, Fritz realized he left the one thing he needed in order to survive in the hands of a human who knew he existed.

The redhead skids to a halt at that, breathing heavily as he looks back at the pitch black tunnel stretched before him.

He didn't want to go back. Going back meant getting caught. And as much as he wanted to believe humans were good and would actually see borrowers as people too, the display proved to him everything he thought was wrong.

Humans were ungrateful. Humans were awful. Humans were selfish. Humans only wanted to use him. And the man he had grown to respect by watching him from the walls as he singlehandedly runs a five star children's restaurant was nothing more than another one of those ungrateful, awful, selfish humans.

He'll just have to make another grappling hook. __And__ stay inside his home at Fazbear's Entertainment Center. Show David Harrison who __really__ runs this restaurant.


	2. Chapter 2

**NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES**

 ** **WARNINGS****  
 _ _Frequent cursing  
Mentions of mistreatment toward a lesser being  
Mentions of not respecting a lesser being and/or not treating them as an equal__

 ** **DISCLAIMER****  
 _ _This is based upon the video game franchise__ Five Nights At Freddy's _ _, all rights for the characters and the world they interact inside belong solely to Scott Cawthon. We own nothing but the writing.  
This is based upon the novel __The Borrowers _ _, all rights concerning the concept applied belong solely to Mary Norton. We own nothing but the writing.  
Please give credit to those who deserve it. Thank you.__

* * *

Problem is, David believed __he__ ran this restaurant. And running said restaurant stated that anyone or any _ _thing__ that couldn't pay for the hours they stayed inside his building were __his__.

Nothing could change that fact. The animatronics couldn't pay him so he owned them. The equipment couldn't pay him so he owned that. Customer could pay for the time therefore he didn't own them.

But. A certain little __pest__ currently racing away was __definitely__ unable to pay for a visit. And that meant said thing was __his__.

If only he could catch it.

Apparently it was smarter than he thought. Because in finding out the annoying little object that hurt __his desk__ was in fact the little creature's annoying little object left him setting up various traps with that as the bait to lure them in. Problem was nothing seemed to work.

Mouse trap. Fly trap. Rat trap. Fatal rat trap. Glue trap. Peanut butter trap. Even a goddamn __fish trap__.

There were no signs of the creature even going __near__ it. At least he still had what actually resembled a grappling hook of some sorts, meaning that weren't clever enough to find a way around it.

Or maybe they didn't even need it...

"ORVILLE!"

The elephant animatronic turns to the furious restaurant owner with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, Mr. Harrison?"

"There's a __pest__ here, and I need you to capture it," David growls, stalking in between the tables to see if everything was cleaned to perfection. He only grows angrier when his good for nothing dumbasses of employees don't even clean the __tables__ right, filling a note inside of his mind to remind him to scream and fire them all. Hire someone else.

"Don't harm it. I need it in one piece or else its useless. Like __some__ animatronics if they don't complete this task correctly!"

"What kind of pest is it, Mr. Harrison?" Happy questions, the frog animatronic watching their owner warily as he glares up at her.

"You'll know it when you see it."

Mr. Hippo then watches as the restaurant owner storms away after there were no other questions asked, phone being taken out and screamed into even before the office door was closed. They tried to tell him getting into such a habit meant the customers would hear it one day.

But considering how loud he got even with the door closed...

"What do you suggest we do, Orville?"

"It's a pest, meaning it can't be any bigger than a mouse," the animatronic muses, twirling his wand before glancing at the floor. "We'll search around once. After that just watch wherever you're walking. And don't hurt it if you find it."

"What do you think it might be?" Happy questions, eyes lighting up with wonder as she begins to hop in place. "Oh! Maybe it is a mouse! A really smart one, too!"

"He wouldn't have us looking for something like that," Orville begins, clearly unnerved by what was being said. Mice had giant ears and long yet wispy tails. And those beady eyes that stare into your soul as if trying to take over your mind...

Just the thought of them gave him shivers. Rats were no better.

"But-"

"Let's see what we can find," Mr. Hippo gently interrupts, taking Happy's hand and leading her off the stage. One pleading look at his friend drops the subject, moving to bounce across the room before quickly walking as not to hurt their 'mystery creature'. With the hippopotamus and elephant animatronic taking opposite sides, the three set to work.

Fritz can't help but smile at seeing the animatronics act so lively. It always fascinated him how sentient they seemed, something Mike said if he remembers correctly when the night guards came to visit.

That had been an...interesting night. The borrower had been safely inside the walls when not only Mr. Harrison came back, but along with seven other humans and at __least__ twenty more animatronics came inside. He couldn't forget about the 'surprise guest' near the end when a human clad in purple threatened each and every one of them.

Fritz had to admit, he wanted to race out there and help them.

Even though it'd reveal he existed. Even though it'd put him in danger of being snatched away. Even though it'd make the same interaction of him and David meeting only this time with nowhere to go.

But he didn't. He kept inside the walls, safe, waiting for something bad to happen instead of trying to stop it.

Some borrower he was. His mum would say otherwise, that hiding and surviving __was__ how to be the best borrower, but it wasn't the one he wanted to be.

One can't code from the walls.

Sighing the redhead turns to leave the three to their search before freezing, green gaze locked on Happy as she stands by the basement door. And she seemed...stuck.

The frog animatronic begins to panic when her systems don't seem to register the command to walk. Nor for the command to open her mouth, move her hand. Not even her __speaker__ seemed to be working.

This was worse than glitching out! Now Mr. Harrison will find her like this, assume she's broke, and put her into storage for forever! Granted she __might__ be broken, but he wouldn't even try to fix her! She's just another animatronic, 'sentient' or not, and he'll put her downstairs and the kids will forget about her and she'll never see them again and-!

"Hey! Calm down! Give me a moment!"

...who in Freddy Fazbear's name is talking right now?

"Just give me a moment, Happy, and I'll have everything working perfectly again! Even help you with the glitching voice!"

As the animatronic seems to calm down, Fritz continues with carefully climbing down to the panel for all of Happy's mechanics. It takes a bit of effort before he finally pops it open to drop safely onto. Once there it's only a moment for the homemade device to be plugged in and the borrower is quickly helping with coding an animatronic for the first time in his life.

Even the teenager had to admit this was an idiotic idea. He was exposed, vulnerable, and currently helping the very person who wants to take him to David. He should just unplug, scale back up to the vent, and pretend this never happened.

Pretend it never happened, and allow the caring frog to be sent to the basement, possibly even deactivated.

"I promise I'm not doing anything," Fritz begins, talking as his fingers dive into the coding language he mastered even with only three inches at most in height. "I'm just destroying any viruses, making sure a file isn't corrupted. Your movements don't seem effected by rust or anything, just a glitch in the system."

Happy doesn't respond, unable to. But even so, she didn't know what to make of a seemingly disembodied voice. That apparently had telekinetic powers to open her panel. And knew her well enough to know the questions she was asking.

"Oh, and my name's Fritz. Fritz Smith. It's really nice to meet you officially, Happy."

A few more keys words and the borrower smiles as he finishes up with the coding, saving his changes, unplugging his device, and then scaling back up his spare grappling hook, considering David was using his original as __bait__ and was clearly not going to give it back.

"Uh, sorry for not being able to close your panel," he begins, wincing when he coils the fishing line before swinging it once more in the attempt to throw it up to the vent above him. "I wish I could but-"

"We can do that!"

Mr. Hippo smiles as he closes Happy's panel, looking over the frog as she seems to be reading over something before straightening up with a wide expression. "You okay, Happy?"

"I'm fantastic! Thank you so much, Mr. Smith!"

"Thank you," Orville begins, gaze locking on the absolutely tiny teenager standing on their friend's shoulder, a fishing hook dangling from his grasp as those wide green eyes stare at them.

"I-I, uh, just trying to, uh-"

"ORVILLE!"

Fritz feels a truck of fear slam into him when David Harrison suddenly stomps over to where they stand, the business man clearly needing something as he glares fiercely.

Not only were there three animatronics, each and every one of them __extremely__ capable of killing him, considering they can snap a __human's__ bones with ease, but now the human who tried to __grab him__ was now going to spot him.

And there was nothing to save him this time. No wires. No surprise. No anything. He was done for. Finished. Dead even, just like his mother.

"What did I say about-!"

A sneer appears on the business man's face when he sees the little pest he's been working all week to catch standing on Happy's shoulder. The little insect, avoiding him and making him look like a fool, caught just for him.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you finally-"

"Actually, Mr. Harrison, but I believe we disappointed you once more."

David glares up at Lefty as the black bear emerges from the basement, soulless eye locking onto his owner with a smug expression as he sidles up next to Happy.

"Get the hell back down there. I have to take care of a pest problem now, thank you very much."

"Mr. Harrison."

Fritz can only watch as the animatronic apparently all the night guards were wary around steps in front of Happy and him, stopping the hand clearly wanting to snatch him up.

...were they really defending him?

"He's not going anywhere."

"And why the hell not!" David demands. He doesn't even realize the miniscule hands covering those little ears from his loud voice, doesn't even care.

They were his animatronics, damn it, and no way would they treat him this way! He __owns__ them! Now Mike is fucking everything up and even __Orville__ was wanting to stick by this bastard's side!

"Because he's much more valuable working as your coder. An employee of multiple talents, actually."

Fritz tenses as those giant hazel eyes glare once more at him, wanting to disappear as a new gleam enters that gaze. A dangerous gleam. Possibly even worse than the one that said he wanted to snatch the borrower up and possibly sell him for a healthy profit.

"An employee."

"He's wonderful!" Happy gushes, nodding rapidly at the business man and unknowingly forcing her new friend to steady himself as not to get thrown off. "He fixed all my glitches!"

"Polite, too," Mr. Hippo can't help but add, smiling up at the redheaded creature.

He had to admit, he didn't want this apparent pest disappearing into David's clutches. He looked human, and yet was so small, not even taller than their owner's __finger__. They had no idea where he came from, what he was like. But anyone who helped others was someone he wanted to know.

Even Orville seemed a bit on board with this decision. Even if it did originally go against David's wishes.

"Hard working too," the elephant says finally. He scowls at Lefty's knowing smirk before leaving the group alone.

As cute and clearly respectful this little creature was, he didn't care what decision was made. He being out on the stage, away from the basement and away from __Lefty__ , and he didn't care about anything else.

...for now at least.

"That's better than what I have in mind?" David questions, scanning over the insect once more.

"He can offer more. Just keep him inside the restaurant and don't tell anyone about him. Unless, you want him to suddenly disappear from someone thinking he can help them with numerous things."

There's a long silence as the business man glances away, clearly thinking over the options being presented.

Sell the creature, only a one-time profit. Keep the creature, have a coder on hand. One that doesn't need to be paid for their services. And with its size, it can possibly do a lot more things. Dive into machinery, be an essential bug that can listen to conversations and relay it back to him. He could possibly even put it on a display case, have people pay to see it...

That would be the most profitable. But right now, the animatronics seem overly protective over this little pest. One day he can snag him and come up with a better way for profits. For now the creature __might__ be useful around here. He'd have to wait and see though.

"Don't disappoint me, pest."

With that the human walks away, original anger having vanished. That leaves Fritz to quickly grapple hook onto the vent before scaling up in record time, panting as he stares down at the knowing look reflected in Lefty's good eye.

...what just happened?


End file.
